Shivers
by remuslives
Summary: Remus gets a pet before realizing he has no idea how to look after it, so he goes to Hermione for some muggle pet care books. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

_**Shivers**_

**Thanks to Grande.Vanilla.Skim.Latte for the idea. Remus gets a pet before realizing he has no idea how to look after it, so he goes to Hermione for some muggle pet care books. **

Remus smiled down at the cute little kitten on his lap. He had just decided to get a dog from the local Muggle animal shelter when he found the adorable kitty hiding underneath his porch. It was wet and shivering and all alone. He never had much experience with cats before but they couldn't be that different from dogs, right? And he had plenty of opportunities to learn about dogs, his best friend was one, after all. He knew it was important to bath them, feed them, and take them out for walks. But what do cats eat? Well, Padfoot always preferred table food, so that must be what all 'house' animals prefer.

"Well, I suppose I should give you a name," Remus said, stroking the kitten's back through the warm dish towel. "Do you like, um, let's see, Little One?" The kitten blinked sleepy eyes up at him. "No. Alright, how about…Flora?" The kitten still watched him sleepily. "No. Hmm, you're a tough one. Maybe, Shivers?" The kitten gave a tiny mew and laid its head on his knee. "Shivers it is."

He continued to sit with the tiny thing for nearly two hours before it awoke and started nuzzling his leg. "Well, aren't you sweet?" It wasn't long until the kitten started meowing louder and pawing at the leg of his trousers. "What's wrong, Shivers?" The kitten mewed again, salivating on his leg. "Oh, you're hungry. That's alright, easily solved." He picked up the little fur ball and carried it, snuggled to his chest, into the kitchen. He reached into his cold box and retrieved a small piece of steak. He set it on a saucer and placed it and the kitten on the counter top. "There you go, nice and juicy." The kitten ignored the meat and headed back over to Remus, crying out. "Well go on, it's good. I just cooked it last night." He placed the kitten by the plate again and waited. Unfortunately, Shivers again snubbed the steak and started nuzzling his arm. "Oh, poor thing, are you sick? Why won't you eat?"

Remus considered his options. It was early evening and he wasn't sure where he could take the kitten to get it checked out. He also hated to take it to a professional if it was something simple, he couldn't really afford it. He thought that maybe the Weasley's would know what to do, but he couldn't recall them ever owning a cat. That's when the obvious answer hit him, Hermione. Grabbing just a pinch of floo powder, he ducked his head into the fireplace and gave the necessary directions.

There sitting on the floor with a book and a cat on her lap, was Hermione. She gave a little gasp when his head appeared in her fireplace but then smiled at him. "Hello, Remus."

"Hello, Hermione. I was wondering if I might trouble you for a book and some advice."

"Sure, come on through." She sat her book aside and put Crookshanks on the floor. "What can I help you with?" she asked as he stepped onto her rug.

"Well," he said, revealing the kitten where it cuddled restlessly to his chest. "I think she might be sick."

"Oh, no," Hermione said advancing on him and taking the little bundle from his hand. "What's wrong with her?"

"I'm not really certain. I was hoping you might have a book to help me diagnose her."

"Of course," she said, already on her way to the little library she had created in her spare bedroom. "So, what are her symptoms?"

"Well, she's acting hungry," he said, watching her retrieve two books from the shelves. "But she refuses to eat."

"Awe, probably just missing her mummy." Hermione kissed the kitten's head and smiled when it nuzzled her throat. "Where'd you get her?"

"Found her under my porch. She was alone and wet and I couldn't just leave her, so…"

"Of course you couldn't; you're a good man." She patted his shoulder when he joined her at the table. "Well, let's see," she said, opening the first book. "What were you using as a bottle?"

"Bottle?"

"Yes," she said, looking at him strangely. "You were using a bottle to feed her, weren't you?"

"Er…no, I wasn't."

She chuckled and shook her head, closing the book. She grabbed a pen off the table and with a flick of her wand, it became a small feeding syringe with a tiny nipple at the end. "Did you bring the milk?"

"Milk?"

"Oh, Remus, tell me you weren't trying to feed her regular cat food." She stood and he followed her to the kitchen.

"Not exactly, no." He was beginning to feel a little stupid.

"What _exactly_ were you trying to feed her?"

"…steak." She laughed out loud. "Was that wrong? It's Sirius's favorite when he's transformed."

She smiled with a sigh and patted his shoulder again. "That was thoughtful, and I'm sure she'll appreciate it when she's older. But for now, she needs milk. Look how tiny she is, she was still nursing from her mum." She pulled the milk from the fridge and handed Shivers over to Remus. "Like this." She poured a small amount into the syringe and then performed a warming spell on it. "And always check it before you feed it to her. Like this," she shook a couple drops onto her wrist. "Okay?"

"How do I know if it's too hot?"

"Give me your wrist," she said, grinning again. He couldn't help but enjoy the feel of her little hands as they pushed his sleeve out of the way. He paid careful attention to the temperature of the milk she slashed onto him. "Got it?"

"Yes, thank you." She passed him the bottle. "Oh, er, alright," he mumbled. Feeling extremely awkward, he tried to offer the bottle to the kitten, but had a hard time getting it to her because of the odd angle.

"Here, let me." She took the bottle back and gestured to a nearby chair, which he seated himself in. She knelt in front of him and leaned against his leg to reach the kitty at a good angle, all of which made Remus's heart thud much quicker than normal. "There she goes." The kitten had latched onto bottle. "Now, the trick is to put the nipple in front of her, but not to shove it in her mouth. Let her do that part." She scratched the kitten's ears while she drank, the back of her hand brushing against his stomach. Between her touch and talk of nipples and mouths, his mind began to drift. "That's a good kitty," she cooed. She continued talking softly and loving on the kitten until it fell asleep, halfway through it's meal. "Now, you'll have to do this a lot. If you need a break though, feel free to bring her by."

"Yes, thank you. I really appreciate your help." He smiled down at the girl in front of him, still leaning heavily on his leg.


	2. Chapter 2

Remus waited for Hermione to realize she was still leaning on him. Not that he minded, he was probably enjoying it far more than he should.

"Do you already have a litter box set up?" she asked, still stroking the kitten and his stomach.

Litter box?" He strangely liked the ignorant feelings that only she could brew within him. He smiled as she laughed.

"Let's go back to your place and I'll make sure you're all set." She stood, leaving a cold spot on his leg, and grabbed some floo powder, before turning to look at him a little strangely. "If that's alright with you, of course."

"Yes, yes, it'd be most welcome." He joined her at the fireplace. Stepping through after she tossed a pinch of powder in for him. He whirled out into his own living room and was at once relieved he was a tidy person. As she stumbled out, a second behind him, she gripped his arm to brace herself.

"I swear I'll never get used to that."

"You'll be amazed what you can get used to, given enough time."

"I suppose so," she agreed. "So, where do you want the litter box?"

"Where does one rationally find a litter box?"

"In the basement," he raised an eyebrow at her, "Of course, that's probably not the best idea for yours. The bathroom?"

"Er, yes, I think that might work." He led the way and watched her conjure him a small, odor-free box.

"That should do. Where would you like-"

"Hermione, I have no idea where any of this should go. I'll trust you to use your own judgment."

She smiled brightly, "Thank you, Remus." He followed her from room to room, watching her add scratching posts, toys, and tiny blankets. "There, all done." She stopped abruptly and spun around, not knowing how closely he followed her. She rammed into him and fell backwards; only the arm that quickly found her waist saved her from falling. "Oh," she whispered, an inch from his face.

"Are you alright?" he questioned just as softly.

"Yes. Fine. Thank you." Her hands were holding tight to his upper arms.

"Do you think," he started before he knew what he was saying. He cleared his throat and stood her up straight so he could release her. "Sorry about that." He scratched his head and looked for a place to put Shivers.

"Would you like to have dinner tomorrow night?"

"Dinner?" He desperately hoped he hadn't heard her wrong.

"Yes," she chuckled. "You, me, food, maybe some wine."

"Sounds wonderful."

"It does."

**The End**

_A/N: Sorry it took so long._


End file.
